1. Field
The aspects of the disclosed embodiments relate to a polymer based nanoparticle entrapment and, more particularly, to a method of synthesis of polymer based nanoparticles with entrapped materials that preserves the activity of the entrapped material.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
Emulsion polymerization is an industry standard in the synthesis of colloidal polymers. Polymeric nanoparticles are used in a wide array of applications such as drug delivery systems, coatings, and cosmetics. Poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PVP) is a functional basic and nucleophilic polymer desirable for use as a nanoparticle because of the affinity of the pyridyl group to metals, its strong hydrogen-bonding with polar species, and its strong electrostatic interaction with charged surfaces, which allow them to be readily attached to surfaces of interest. Nanoparticles, including PVP, may be used to encapsulate chemical or biological materials such as, for example, bioactive agents, pharmaceutical agents, or enzymes, in order to protect the entrapped materials or prevent them from reacting with their environment. When encapsulating these materials, care must be taken to prevent degradation of the materials in order to preserve its efficacy or functional activity.
Generally, the synthesis of nanoparticles and nanocapsules requires the use of surfactants, organic solvents, heat, high pressure homogenization, or high intensity ultrasound sonication. However, these approaches can be problematic and can denature (if a biological material) or reduce efficacy of the active material to be encapsulated. Use of surfactants can change properties of the polymers, and removal of the surfactants is costly and time-consuming. Surfactant-free emulsion polymerization has emerged as a cleaner, simpler process of nanoparticle synthesis, as the nanoparticle surfaces are able to readily interact with the environment without the additional washing steps required to remove surfactants. Microwave heating has also been used in nanosphere polymerization reactions, for example in the synthesis of polystyrene, poly(methyl methacrylate), and other copolymer nanospheres. Microwave heating has also been shown to decrease reaction times and provide more uniformed heating yielding monodisperse nanospheres, when compared to conventional heating methods.
A process is therefore desirable which creates polymeric nanoparticles while preserving the activity of the entrapped materials. Specifically, it would be advantageous to have a rapid, surfactant-free, microwave synthesis of a nanoparticle entrapping an active material.